DLC I’d pay for - fakeimmigrant's Blog

fakeimmigrant's Blog

DLC I’d pay for

Posted on July 2, 2012 at 02:22 PM.

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I have always been a stickler for authenticity and atmosphere. While FIFA games have given us a lot of different arenas to stage your matches, they have never included every possible stadia. Taking a cue from the course DLC in Tiger Woods PGA Tour games, it would only seem logical for EA to offer something similar in their FIFA releases; let gamers play as their favorite club in their correct arena.

So far, only the most impressive and/or popular of Stadiums are included in the game. Meaning that out of the 16-20 clubs that make up a particular league, perhaps only 2-4 play in their correct stadium. Whenever I play career/be a pro, I use Aston Villa; typically a decent side that is neither very good nor very bad. But their stadium, Villa Park, has never been included in the game and I have had to settle to play games in one of the fake/generic stadiums.

If given the chance, I would pay an additional 2-5 dollars on DLC that would allow me to obtain the remaining stadiums required to fill out the Premiership. How much more immersed every match would be if you knew you were playing it in the correct stadium with the home and away supporters in their correct spots? Some of us may never get that opportunity to sit and watch a game live, but getting to play there is a fair alternative.

Stuttgart’s Mercedes-Benz Arena

For the “lesser” leagues, it makes even more sense to include such a DLC pack. I am certain that a number of MLS supporters would love the opportunity to play their games in the correct stadium. The Vancouver Whitecaps have lucked out that their home ground, BC Place, is included in the game, considering their sponsorship with EA; but I bet Galaxy , Sounders and Dynamo fans have longed to have their grounds made available to play in. In the case of Seattle’s team, the fact that assets for CenturyLink Field are already available thanks to its inclusion in Madden, moving it to FIFA would only take minutes instead of days.

EA could do Stadium DLC in packs: La Liga, Serie A, Premiership, Bundesliga and MLS would be priorities. Later years could allow them to expand it to include France, Holland, Russia and even Mexico. Additionally, considering how stadiums are not typically modified on a yearly basis, the development costs might be high initially, but the long term costs on EA would be minimal.

Of course, unlike Tiger Woods, which has gone from being very deep with the number of included courses only to reduce it and rely on DLC purchases, FIFA should still include it’s normal number of stadiums. These bonus stadiums should only be viewed as an extra incentive. Chances are that only die-hard fans would purchase stadium packs for their favorite leagues. If you only play as Real Madrid, Manchester City or either Milan side, you are already have your stadium in game and may be content with playing away games in generic stadiums.

Considering FIFA’s popularity and the demands fans of the series have, this really does appear to be something EA should and could think about adding to future games. The team at EA Canada has continued to improve the game’s realism on the pitch but has plateau’d when it comes to stadium atmosphere. While EA has included stuff such as smoke flares in the stands in FIFA 2002, and Vuvuzelas in World Cup 2010, there has been very little improvements done in stadium designs. If they can’t include additional teams because securing player likenesses and obtain league licenses is too expensive, creating new stadiums for inclusion in the game is certainly a viable alternative.

Comments

# 1 shadia147 @ Jul 2

I'm curious, not being a "soccer" fan.
How do the Stadums in Europe compare to those in the States?
Seating? Concessions? Ambiance? Parking? Jumbotron Scoreboards? Uniqueness? Age? Or just overall cleanliness ?
Is there a European equivelent to Fenway Park or Wrigley Field?

# 2 fakeimmigrant @ Jul 4

@shadia147, I'm from Canada but I've been to stadiums in Madrid, Barcelona, Prague, Belgrade and Istanbul. It really does vary from country to country. Most soccer-specific stadiums typically have the fans right to the pitch, so they are practically a part of the action. There are those stadiums that have tracks around them, so they intimidation factor is lost.

Seating - in the past, stadiums would have bleechers and/or allow for standing but for safety sakes, pretty much all are now all-seaters (in Germany, some stadiums still have standing sections)

Concessions - as you'd expect in North America
Parking - a lot of the older stadiums are built in residential areas, so parking is sometimes an issue. Just like how Fenway and Wrigley are in neighbourhoods, that's often the case for the older stadiums in Europe.
Jumbotron/Scoreboards - again, as you'd see in America

Uniqueness - matter of opinion. Soccer specific stadiums are unique in their design and they are set-up in such a way that away fans are segregated in certain areas of the stadium for their own safety.

Age - like in America, some are nearly hundred years old, others are modern

Cleanliness - matter of opinion but I'd say close to what we have hear.

As for stadiums that have history like Fenway or Wrigley, I would have to say

The Camp Nou in Barcelona,
Old Trafford in Manchester,
San Siro in Milan

are the three that stand out the most but there are also stadiums in Madrid, Munich, Moscow and Rome that people will say that they must be visited.